The Benoni police are encouraging residents who are being abused to come forward and report those incidents to the police.
This comes after an increase in domestic violence cases reported to the police since the beginning of the lockdown on March 27.
ALSO READ:
#Covid-19: Be sure they are indeed field workers doing home testing before opening your gate
Benoni SAPS spokesperson Capt Nomsa Sekele said there has been an increase since March; however, since the announcement of the lockdown the number of cases doubled.
“We know that the lockdown is frustrating to everyone, but this was necessary so that we can try to curb the spread of the coronavirus,” said Sekele.
“We encourage couples to treat each other with respect, to be patient and tolerate each other.”
Sekele said if you are being abused, come to the station and open a case or use the My SAPS app to report the incident. The police station is open 24/7.
“As the police, we will assist you and take you to a place of safety, if necessary,” she said.
“We also plead with the community to continue following the lockdown regulations.”
On April 5, Police Minister Bheki Cele confirmed that the number of gender-based violence (GBV) complaints remained high and therefore concerning.
Over 2 300 calls or complaints have been registered since the beginning of the lockdown on March 27 until March 31 and from these, 148 alleged suspects were charged.
Acting spokesperson for the Ministry of Police Brig Mathapelo Peters said with the initial declaration of the Covid-19 state of disaster on March 15, Cele at that point flagged as a concern, the possible increase in GBV and domestic violence cases.
“The minister at that time urged the management of the SAPS to reinforce the FCS Units (Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences) at police stations to ensure the SAPS’s readiness and capacity to respond to related complaints,” said Peters.
“Considering the improved rate of life sentences secured by the FCS Units in the past, one is optimistic that police will continue to work around the clock towards securing successful convictions and long-term sentences of perpetrators of crimes against women and children.”
Peters said this should remain the practice even beyond the lockdown as GBV remains a scourge across the country.
“The minister also welcomed the general decrease in serious and violent crimes, attributing this to, among other factors, the prohibition of the sale and movement of liquor since the nationwide lockdown.
“The 2019-2020 National Crime Statistics are yet to be officially released by the Minister of Police to Parliament at a later stage this year.
“Therefore, the analysis done currently is a preliminary report that is yet to undergo the necessary verification and endorsements.”
Cele has also welcomed the drop in the number of complaints against the police during the lockdown.
The SAPS, SANDF, metro police and other law enforcement agencies will remain on high alert to ensure maximum adherence to the lockdown regulations.
Dear reader, as your local news provider, we have the duty of keeping you factually informed on Covid-19 developments. As you may have noticed, mis- and disinformation (also known as “fake news”) is circulating online. Caxton Local Media is determined to filter through the masses of information doing the rounds and to separate truth from untruth in order to keep you adequately informed. Local newsrooms follow a strict pre-publication fact-checking protocol. A national task team has been established to assist in bringing you credible news reports on Covid-19. Readers with any comments or queries may contact National Group Editor Irma Green (irma@caxton.co.za) or Legal Adviser Helene Eloff (helene@caxton.co.za).
